February 15, 2008
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments
As you may have noticed, I’ve been pondering the EU’s proposed mission to Kosovo quite a lot over the last day or two, and getting increasingly concerned that the province’s impending independence hasn’t been quite thought through. Overnight, a rather … Continue reading
February 13, 2008
by Nosemonkey
5 Comments
Kosovo’s imminent independence could give the EU its biggest challenge yet. Continue reading
February 12, 2008
by Nosemonkey
4 Comments
My big worry over Gazprom boss Dmitry Medvedev becoming president of Russia is his use of the country’s gas supplies as political weapons. Continue reading
January 22, 2008
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
Rather than wait until after the elections, Serbia’s already signed that gas pipeline deal with Russia, effectively scuppering the EU-backed alternative. Now we’re going to end up with a president of Russia, Medvedev, who’ll not only be the former head … Continue reading
January 18, 2008
by Nosemonkey
9 Comments
Monday sees the first round of the Serbian presidential elections – and they could well prove vital for the future of Europe. If power shifts we could all, to coin a phrase, end up exponentially screwed. But surely, you might … Continue reading
October 22, 2007
by Nosemonkey
16 Comments
Good work, Polish types! The nutty twins have been separated, and a more pro-EU Prime Minister finally in place. About time – as one of the largest of the new EU member states, getting Poland to fully participate in and … Continue reading
September 8, 2007
by Nosemonkey
8 Comments
Get rid of at least one of the psycho twins now that you’ve got a general election two years early. Poland should always have been at the forefront of the 2004 EU intake’s push for serious reform – but thanks … Continue reading
August 13, 2007
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments
We all remember the Orange Revolution of late 2004. Regular readers will know that since liveblogging the thing, I’ve occasionally returned to the complex and heated world of Ukranian politics to try and work out just what the hell’s going … Continue reading
May 12, 2007
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
Les Fatales Picards are a work of absolute genius. That bald guy – perfect! Sadly no cheerleaders during the live finals, but still. Fantastic stuff – they’ve single-handedly revived my interest in pop music: Update: Actually, sod that – maybe … Continue reading
May 2, 2007
by Nosemonkey
1 Comment
Anyone even slightly familiar of the chain of events that led to the fall of the Soviet Union and European communism will be aware of the importance of the Solidarity movement. Short version: it was one of the sparks that … Continue reading
April 14, 2007
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
One of my ongoing convictions about the worth of the EU is that its very presence, and the vague carrot of potential EU membership, can be a force for good in the lesser-developed states of the European fringe – following … Continue reading
April 3, 2007
by Nosemonkey
1 Comment
It’s not just in Ukraine that things are happening. All around Europe’s eastern fringe, people seem to have become a tad unsettled by the onset of Spring. In fact, the most stable country on Europe’s eastern edge seems to be … Continue reading
April 2, 2007
by Nosemonkey
7 Comments
I’ve been keeping a loose eye on Ukraine ever since liveblogging the Orange Revolution back in November/December 2004 (starting from a position of complete ignorance about the country, let alone the events taking place – but since when did ignorance … Continue reading
March 8, 2007
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments
Looks like Dave’s finally making vague moves to lay out his approach to the EU in somewhat more clear terms than “we don’t like the EU much, but we won’t tell you quite how much” and “We’ll quit the biggest … Continue reading